period: Calpurnia Pisonis

Calpurnia Pisonis is usually a bit part in the tales of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra – as she may have been in real life. Where movies usually get it wrong is portraying her age: she only sixteen when she married the much-older Caesar and thirty when he was killed, butshe’s usually been portrayed by actresses in their forties or even fifties. She was only six years older than Cleopatra but it probably suits the the storytelling to contrast the older betrayed wife with the young, beautiful and exotic mistress.